Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Now that's something you don't see every day!*

Take heart, gentle readers. Spring is showing up. Very slowly....

I have been worried for the great horned owl pair at Lake Isabella. Last year, I had just about given up on them, when they finally got their butts in gear and started laying eggs on January 29th. (Ohio's great horned owls get their babies started really early in the year, like mid-January)It's been my thing to check on the nest can every morning, which I have been doing every day since January 15th. Today, they made my day.

Day One of incubation, 2009. About time, you goofy owls!I love being able to go look at an owl whenever I want. If you have any parks near you that have GHOW nests, (if you aren't sure, ask the naturalist...and obey the Owl Roosting/Nesting rules!) you should go have a look. I work with owls almost every day at RAPTOR, but wild owls are harder to come by.The Owl Roosting/Nesting rules:

If you suspect that an area is being used as a roost or nest site you must not disturb it, but watch from a safe distance.

Do not disturb the birds in any way

If you accidentally stray close to a nest, move quickly and quietly away

So there I was, grinning like an idiot and cranking my zoom as far as it would go. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of feathers. I lowered the camera and saw a red-tailed hawk land in a tree about 40 feet from the owl nest. Cool.

Wait a minute....a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl at the same time???? Was I dreaming this??

I slide around the corner of the shelter so I could get a photo of an owl and a hawk at the same time.

This was OSSUM. I then wondered if a fight would break out. My first thought was, "Cool, I can watch!" and then, "I could document!"Alas, no fight. The red-tailed hawk flew off down the river to pick off an overfed squirrel or juicy wood rat.

After the Owl Glow cooled, I noticed all the avian hormones around me. Robins were chased each other. Titmice were chasing each other. Chickadees and cardinals were chased each other.And the Canada Geese really, really needed to do some butt-biting:

12 comments:

Susan, you think you saw something ossum? (you did indeed!) Come on over to Sycamore Canyon to read about what I saw the owls do but could not photograph. Plus, there are more raptors hanging out over here also. I have heard that Cooper's Hawks will kill baby owls. Have you had this experience? I hope the Red-tails won't do the same!

I hope to see a Great Horned Owl on a nest some day. I recently saw no a photography critiquing website a photo of a GHO nesting in a planter at the main entrance to a County Govt Building, Brevard County, Fl. Two feet above the ground. The accompanying caption said that they fenced off the area for public safety. I hope he meant for the "owls' safety."

I'm sure you'd recognize that eared profile anywhere!We have one we hear from time to time--and CLOSE! I keep scanning old hawk nests and dead tree tops--have not seen any nesting. You're lucky to be able to check her often--can't wait to see fuzz!

I was very happy to notice the Neruda sonnet. If you really like Neruda, check out Red Poppy athttp://www.redpoppy.net/pablo_neruda.php. It's a non-profit set up to create a documentary about Neruda, publish his biography, and translate his works into English. To see our blog on Neruda’s literary activism, click on “Journal.”

Click on this link when you are having a bad day and need a giggle

A Glossary for newcomers to the blog:

"Embrace your Inner Sheep": You'll just have to read back a ways for the explanation of that one.

FTS (Also known as F*** the Swainsons): When you just cannot, under any circumstances, get out and look at another bird today. That's it. I don't care what it is. F*** the Swainsons!

The Flock: A group of women (and a few men thrown in for good measure) who met here in Cyberspace and now travel together to birding festivals. We are unique in this because birders don't usually travel in "packs".

Learning Lemur: (See Science Chimp)

RAPTOR: A Cincinnati-based rehab center for birds of prey (also where I work)

Science Chimp: A term coined by Julie Zickefoose. Meaning anyone who sees something nature-oriented (whether it be scat or bones or the scene of a predator strike) and MUST figure out the circumstances. There is much grunting and "eep-eep-eeping" involved in a full-on Science Chimp display. Someone who is learning the art of Chimping can be called a "Learning Lemur".

"Squeee!": This is a noise you make when something is so cute or perfect, no other word will do.

"What? Lynne has herpes?": What your blogger heard and said during a quiet moment at an owl prowl when someone said that Lynne (Hasty Brook) has groupies.